April 24, 2016

Hello everyone! So just finished week one of transfer 6!! That's crazy! It was a fun week though! 

So Monday for Baldwins last day we did some fun stuff for p-day. A member took us out most of the afternoon and we went and drove up to the mountains and did some really pretty sight seeing. Then in the evening we went bowling with one of our investigators. That was really fun. Our investigator is pretty good at bowling and he said I was a good opponent. I actually beat him twice. Haha! It was fun! 

Tuesday was transfers...sad and happy. I had to say bye to Baldwin which was no fun. I miss him. He is a really great missionary and helped me a lot. We became really good friends in just one transfer. So yeah I picked up my new companion, Elder Masuko. He also is super awesome! He is Japanese. He is about 5 feet 2 inches. He also was a rockstar before his mission. We have had lots of fun together this week. We also help each other a lot. He helps me with Japanese and I'm trying to teach him English. It's been fun. 

So this weeks miracle... So on Wednesday we were going through our list of former investigators and I decided to call one. Well the man answered and I was actually able to make an appointment to meet with him the next day. That was a first, I've never called a former investigator and had them respond well. It was already a miracle. Well the next day we head out to his house. We didn't know but he literally lives on the top of the mountain and about halfway up it started to rain. We showed up to this man's house soaking wet and dead tired cause we just rode 2 hours up a mountain. Well we met with him and he said that people from church (the missionaries) have tried to come by before but he wasn't home so they just left notes in his mail. He said that I was the first person to ever call him and actually make an appointment. He was really happy to visit with us and wants to keep meeting so we will be seeing him again this week. 

Finally the big news of the week... I sprained my ankle really bad on Friday!! Yay! So we were riding to visit a former investigator and we got about 20 minutes from home and unfortunately I fell and ate it pretty hard and twisted my ankle really bad. At first I just thought I gave myself a dead leg or something and thought I would just wait a second and be fine. So we sat and chilled for like 8 minutes and then I tried to stand and realized I had done something pretty bad cause I couldn't stand. We called the couple missionaries and told them what happened and they said they would come pick us up and take us to the hospital. We went to the hospital and they took X-rays and said it was just a really bad sprain and that I can't do anything for 2-3 weeks. I've been getting better really fast and think I should be fine in about 4 days or so. The worst thing is the bruising. I'll put a picture so everyone can see. I'm doing fine though, we are still working hard. We went housing and visited people on Saturday still, I just crutch around everywhere. It's not fun but hey nothing stops the Lord's work right! 

That's it for this week! Not super exciting. Me and Elder Masuko are working hard to help the members here. We are really wanting to strengthen the members this transfer and help the member missionary work. It's going to be a fun transfer. 

Love you all and have a great week! 

Elder Myers

Baldwin's Last Day in Nagano

I hurt my ankle

my big fat bruised ankle

April 17, 2016

Well it's been another six weeks so you know what that means....TRANSFER CALLS! So I'm lucky staying in Nagano for another! I'm very happy about that however I'm getting separated from Elder Baldwin. He is leaving me to go do the Lord's work in another area. He was an awesome companion and taught me so much. My new companion will be Elder Masuko! He is Japanese!! My first Japanese companion! It's going to be so fun. Also speaking Japanese 24/7 will be super interesting too! I'm super excited! 

So...

This Thursday we met with our investigator Nakamura. It went super well! We were able to really help him understand the lesson this time. He is Chinese so Japanese is his second language so sometimes he has a hard time understanding us. However, he really enjoyed the lesson and learned a lot and seems to be progressing well. He still has his problems but we are working with him. 

On Friday we met with our other investigators the Masudas. It's a father and his son and they are some of the funniest people I have ever met. The father owns an American antique shop so he just adores Americans and stuff it's way funny. He is also super hipster! The son is 12 and just a little fire ball. He is always making us laugh. We had a good lesson and they are doing good. They are still praying everyday so that's awesome. We are meeting with them tonight to go bowling before Baldwin leaves tomorrow. Excited!! 

That's kinda it for the week! Next week I'll let you know how the new companion is and stuff! Hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!

Elder Myers

English Class

Dinner with the Branch President

April 10, 2016

Hello everyone!!! 

Sorry this week is going to be kinda short. We have a district activity today so we don't have a lot of time to email. We are going to go see a castle so next week expect pictures of that! 

So on Tuesday me and elder Baldwin decided to do something we had never done before...proselyte at the big Nagano station. There are so many people there it's crazy! I have never been to a place with so many people, it was interesting. However we had a really good time and had some really interesting talks and got rejected really hard some other times. It was a good new way to do some proselyting and we will for sure do it again sometime soon. 

Wednesday we had an apartment check...we passed with like 110%! The senior missionaries walked in and the elder just looked at the sister and was like " do we even need to check this?" It was super funny! So yeah we are known for our clean apartment. 

Friday we had district meeting which was really good and then we went out as a district and got shabu shabu. So shabu shabu is a type of restaurant where it's all you can eat meat. The meat comes in really thin strips and you have a bowl of super hot boiling water in front of you and you throw the meat in there and it cooks in like 2 minutes then you dip it in some sauce and enjoy. It way good and when missionaries go we go hard, especially cause it's all you can eat. So that was fun. 

Friday we also met with one of our investigators. He just got back from a trip to Utah and we ended up talking about temples because he went and saw the salt lake temple while he was in Utah. It went really well and he really enjoyed the concept of eternal families and what we do in the temple. 

Saturday and Sunday was conference!!! Yay!! So turns out our branch didn't get the English version this time so we just ended up watching it in Japanese. It was way fun and also a way cool experience. I understood about 60% of it so that was good. I still got a lot out of it but will for sure be watching it again in English so that I can get the fullness out of it. Also a lot of the talks get a little different of a meaning when they are translated into Japanese. It was all in all a great conference and I really enjoyed it. I felt so blessed the whole time to be able to have the opportunity to hear from our prophet and other leaders. 

Also yesterday we were able to take some pictures of the sakura trees. They are really pretty right now so it was perfect. We also went to Zenkoji temple this week which was way awesome. It's like the third most popular temple in Japan or something I think. It's way cool and also pretty close. 

This Saturday is transfer calls!!!! Ahh!!! This transfer went by way fast it unbelievable. Well Saturday I'll find out where and with who the next 6 weeks of my life will be spent. 

So that's it for the week! I hope everyone is doing well! Love and miss you all! 

Elder Myers

Zenkoji Temple

Zenkoji Temple

Zenkoji Temple

Beautiful Country

what a scene.....

Cherry Blossoms....wow

more blossoms

non-stop blossoms....awesome

April 3, 2016

Hello 皆!

Hope everyone enjoyed conference this weekend! I heard it was awesome, but isn't it always! Haha! I get to watch it this coming weekend, Yes Japan is a week late! However I'm so excited! It's such a privilege we have to hear from a living prophet and apostles. I know they are directed by the spirit cause they always seem to say exactly what I need to hear every conference. I truly treasure general conference and hearing from the chosen servants of the Lord. 

Well we had a great week here and we were nice and busy so that always makes for a good week.

Tuesday we met with our 23 year old investigator, Miyashita, and had a good time together. We played ping pong and I went undefeated! Haha! We hung out with him for a while and then we had a good lesson. We shared with him the Easter video and he really liked it. He loves Jesus! Sadly he is starting his new job and he will be traveling around so we won't be able to really visit with him from now on. We are going to try and do Skype lessons or something with him. He is awesome and wants to keep investigating! 

On Wednesday we went out with a member and the senior missionaries and drove around and met a ton of less actives. It was way fun! We ended up getting lunch at this really expensive Sushi place which was great. It's always good to go out and do work with members. Always makes for a good time. 

Thursday we went and helped a recently returned missionary, who is going to go to college here, move into his apartment. It was fun but I felt bad for the guy cause we could tell he didn't want to be home. However after that we were heading to a lesson with an investigator and we were riding there with a member and we were stopping people on the street. It was way cool to do some street contacts with a member. We actually ended up getting a new investigator out of it so that was awesome. 

We had an exchange on Friday so that's always fun. I went to Ueda which is my district leaders area. However I was there with the district leaders companion, elder whited. He was actually In the mtc the same time as me so we are the same transfer. We had a good time and did some good work together. Then we swung by the Brazilian store there and I went crazy! In Nagano we don't have one so whenever I go to Ueda I always go to the Brazil store and go crazy. So yeah I ate some really good Brazilian food that day. We also went by the castle in Ueda and got a pic with some cool samurai that were there. Ueda is famous for its samurai. It was all in all a fun exchange. 

On a not so happy note, a recent convert here, Okada, is really really sick and has been in and out of the hospital recently. We had the opportunity on Sunday to go take him the sacrament and to give him a blessing. He is one awesome guy! We love him to death! He has so much faith and is just such a special soul. We are really hoping he gets better! 

Well I am doing great out here and it's finally starting to warm up which makes me super happy! Also this week the cherry blossoms should be in full bloom so expect some cool pics next week. Love you all! 

Elder Myers

a Japanese house, made of sticks and mud

eating some sushi.....so good

Sakura flowers

The Last Samurai

March 27, 2016

Elder Baldwin and I had a fun week this week. Not a TON happened but we still really enjoyed it. This is kinda how it went...

On Tuesday we went out with the kamio couple (senior missionaries) and we tried to visit some less actives. It was really fun to work with them and watch them do their thing. We all four had a good time working together. 

On Wednesday I gave Elder Baldwin and myself hair cuts. It ended up pretty good. I didn't destroy either of our hairs so I think we are good. Then in the evening we visited with a recent convert and boy is she awesome. She has some of the strongest faith I've ever seen. It's amazing! We love visiting with her! 

On Friday we decided to go visit a member who lives on the top of a mountain ( like no joke). We went hard core and rode all the way up the mountain. We had to stop so many times because we thought our legs were going to fall off. Then coming down we were just zooming about 35 mph down the mountain. It was crazy! So yeah our legs are still recovering from the experience. 

On Saturday we went to visit the Dias family and when we got there they weren't home and so we gave them a nice ring on the phone. Well after talking to them for a couple minutes they tell me that they are moving back to Komatsu! I was so shocked!! They ended up getting their old job back and are moving back to Komatsu this week to start working there again. Kinda sad that they are leaving Nagano but it's okay. That was a big shocker this week and we are trying to work everything out so that they can make a good transition back to Komatsu. 

Lastly, everyone in Nagano forgot it was Easter this Sunday!!!! It was crazy!!! Not a single talk was given about Easter or anything. Elder Baldwin and I didn't even realize it was Easter till late Sunday night. It just felt like a regular Sunday, it was interesting. However although I didn't really celebrate eater this year I do KNOW that my savior lives. I KNOW that he suffered and died for me. I KNOW that on the third day he lived again and because he lives we can all live again. I KNOW because he lives we can all find joy in the knowledge that we can be with our families forever. I KNOW that because of the Savior I am never alone. I KNOW that my Savior loves me! 

I hope you all have a great week and may the Lord bless you all! 

Elder Myers

Elder Baldwin didn't know what to do with his hands

The Nagano Zone

March 13, 2016 (out of order)

Well I'm in Nagano now!! I made it! So one Tuesday elder Penninton and I got up and took the nice long train ride all the way down to Nagoya and had to say the saddest goodbye ever. Well I found my new companion elder Baldwin and we took the really long train ride to Nagano. It was a wonderful day filled with long train rides. 

So Nagano is really nice and cold. Just when I thought I was past the cold I come here and it's been snowing here. No fun! Nagano is really pretty though! It is surrounded by mountains so no matter where you look you can see pretty mountains. Nagano is also a really mixed area because you have a good amount of countryside and then a good amount of big city so that's awesome. The big city part of Nagano is really awesome and is so different then my last area. Everywhere you go there are just tons of people and huge buildings. It's way cool! 

My new companion is elder Baldwin from queen creek Arizona. He is 6 feet 4 inches tall and I look like a midget next to him but it's whatever. He is an awesome missionary and really good at Japanese and I've learned so much from him already. He is also a really funny guy and we have lots in common and can just talk for hours with each other. He also really gets the concept of play when it's time to play and work when it's time to work so that's just awesome and I love it. I'm really excited for the rest of this transfer with him. 

In our area we currently have 7 investigators which is so cool. This week I got to meet 3 of them and teach them. One of them was Miyashita, who is a 22 year old college kid and he is way nice and dresses super fancy. I always tease him and tell him he needs to teach me how to dress. He speaks fluent English so that's fun sometimes. He is a great investigator! Next was Hanyu San who feed us dinner on Wednesday. I ate more that night than I have ever eaten before in my life! I seriously thought i was going to die. After that appointment I had to take several breaks while we were riding our bikes cause I thought I was going to die. Lastly we met with the Masuda family. It's a dad and his 12 year old son. They are like the two coolest people I've ever met. The dad owns an american antique shop and is just like ultra hipster. They just crack jokes the whole time and teach us really weird slang Japanese so it's way funny. They love the Book of Mormon and prayer so its good! 

On Saturday we had a cool chance to go watch some professional Japanese basketball. A member called us Friday and told us he got some tickets to a basketball game and for us to invite as many investigators as possible. We all had a lot of fun! Sadly the team we were cheering for lost but that's okay. Also let me tell you... Japanese pro ball looks like kids playing high school basketball. I never realized how good the NBA is but yeah I see now. 

That's really all for this week! This week was really fun! I love this area and the people here. The branch members here are seriously the best. I feel like I was welcomed with such open arms and just welcomed into this tight family. It's awesome! I think I won't want to leave here once my time is up! 

On Sunday I was asked to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting. I was reading my scriptures on Sunday morning and came across this scripture and was really impressed to share it. The scripture was Alma 5: 26  which says " And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" I know it's so important that we are always looking inside ourselves and checking up on our conversion. We need to make sure we are always progressing in this gospel and that we are finding joy in the journey. Never let yourself go a second just stuck on a plateau. Check yourself and change what needs to be changed whether it's better scripture study, praying more often, or making Sunday church attendance a bigger part of your week. I know we can all do this and make ourselves better and always keep improving. 

Love you all!! Have a great week!! 

My new companion, Elder Baldwin

My new area, Nagano!

saying goodbye to Elder Pennington

March 21, 2016

Well this week this email is coming to you from the sushi restaurant waiting room. Who would have guessed that you'd have to wait an hour just to eat a thin slice of fish on rice? Oh, Japan! 

Well this week was really good! The weather has been really nice. It's been warming up but there is still a chilly breeze so sadly I still have to wear a sweater. Since coming to Japan I have realized how much I love the sun. I miss the nice burning rays of the sun on my skin! 

So this Wednesday we had an apartment check so Monday and Tuesday me and elder Baldwin went hard core and made our apartment look brand new. When the senior missionaries came in all they said the whole time is " oh, wonderful". So now we are pretty much living in a brand new apartment... It's amazing! Missionary apartments are gross and I've been really lucky to be in not too bad of apartments. 

On Friday we had district training meeting and afterwards we wanted to go get something to eat. Well we invited the husband in the senior couple, elder Kamio, and asked where he wanted to eat and he said ramen because his wife never lets him eat ramen but because she isn't with us so she won't find out. He is so funny! Well we all went out and ate and had a good time. However while we were eating his wife called and asked where he was and he was forced to confess. Oops, we kinda got him in trouble. Hahaha! 

Finally on Saturday night we ended up playing some high school kids in basketball and they kicked our butts. We saw them playing and figured we would challenge them, beat them, and then talk to them about what we do for a bit. Well we challenged them and they were scared because elder Baldwin is 6 feet 4 inches tall but once we started playing we realized that they were faster than lightening. They ran circles around me and elder Baldwin, it was crazy! In the end we had a good time and they really liked us and we exchanged numbers and they want to see us again. 

This week also consisted of some hunting down of less actives and some good investigator lessons. The area is doing good and investigators are progressing well! However several of our investigators are going out of town for this week so that is kinda dumb but whatever. 

Love you all and hope you all have an awesome week!!! 

Elder Myers

Elder Baldwin and I with the "ballers"

Anime of Lehi's arrival in the promised land - artist unknown